All aboard for South Shore Model Railroad Club's open house

Audrey Cooney The Patriot Ledger

Saturday

Jan 12, 2019 at 12:01 AMJan 12, 2019 at 4:00 PM

HINGHAM — Families and model train enthusiasts marveled at sprawling, intricate model train layouts at the South Shore Model Railroad Club’s family night and open house on Friday night, Jan. 11 in Hingham.

“I think it’s a jump back for people,” said Jack Foley of Scituate, the club’s president, on why people continue to love model trains. “It’s memories of better, funner times.”

The club’s setup features eight separate trains and hundreds of miniature buildings, other vehicles and model people arranged in meticulously detailed arrangements of cities and mountain scenes. The South Shore Model Railroad Club is one of the oldest model railroad clubs in the country and has been in operation since 1938, when it was founded in Quincy. Now, it’s housed in a 10,000 square foot former U. S. Navy munitions warehouse in Hingham's Bare Cove Park

Wendy Buie was there with her son, Malcolm Buie, 10.

“He loves trains,” Buie said while her son inspected the intricate miniatures. “He grew up liking trains and cars and things that go.”

Buie said said they drove all the way from their home in Framingham to meet up with a friend and go to the open house.

“We thought it would be a really fun event to try and get rid of some of those winter blues,” she said.

Mike Davis of Scituate said he’s been to the club’s warehouse several times before because he’s friends with Foley.

“It’s always fun to see. I guess I’m a kid at heart,” he said. “How can you not like trains?”

Davis said his favorite part was the level of detail in each part of the setup. Every time you look, he said, you notice something new.

“It’s amazing the creativity that goes along with this,” he said.

In March, the club will host a similar open house event, but with the addition of model train vendors, guest setups, a white elephant table and movies about trains. The model show and open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 9 and 10, at the club, 52 Cove Park Drive. For more information, go to ssmrc.org or call 781-740-2000.